Top 100 Female DJS Poll

[The Divide]

Anyways

Tasha (miss bass) is a good dj and a very creative artist. More creative than most the people, even myself. She’s on a different level to most people and I think in time she will make a strong name for herself whatever she chooses to do

[Buttman]

You wanna get in her pants huh

[Miromiric]

who doesn`t?

[djshiva]

i would rather drop the polls and encourage you guys to actively seek out good female djs/producers to listen to and encourage people to book. when the ratio of men to women on the flyers is 50-50, and not one word is said about how the women look, that's when i'll believe some progress is really being made.

Isn`t this in itself sexism?
I`ll actively seek anyone good and talented, both in temrs of production and DJ`s to book. Nothing matters apart from what is on the CD demo (productions or sets).

i am not asking for affirmative action for pete's sake. just that people seek out talent that they may have not come across before. i think we do that as techno geeks, but perhaps i am more apt to seek out women artists because we tend to fly under the radar.
that said, if i do an event, i book it on talent. i just happen to be lucky to know a crapload of talented women artists. is it because there are more around me? or is it because i am paying attention?

And I`ve never seen a techno flyer with a female DJ on it that has ever made a mention of their looks?

admittedly i don't know where you are from, but in america at least, i can barely FIND a flyer with a woman artist on it that doesn't mention their looks. perhaps it is a particularly american trend to constantly harp on looks...dunno...

The only obstacle I can see in the way of any woman DJ is the same as most peoples...
There may be sexism present in other forms of work etc, but within the DJ scene, I really don`t think it`s there in a major way.

and i would respectfully say that it is easy for you to say that, because you don't have to live it. that's not me being cranky, it is simply true. i have been in this scene for over ten years, and if sexism was nonexistent, i wouldn't be addressing it.

and again i say, if women say sexism exists in the dj scene, and men continue to deny the truth of that, is that not sexism in itself? can men look past their conception of the world and begin to acknowledge that women's voices matter and that we speak the truth that we live every day? because our truth does not jibe with your concept of reality, does that make it any less true?

just some points to ponder from the unapologetic feminist...

now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[dirty_bass]

I`d like to see some concrete proof of sexism in the techno scene in terms of bookings. It`s easy to blame everything under the sun.
One thing I haven`t had, is one single demo sent to me of productions by a girl.
I get sent loads and loads of stuff by guys, but none by girls.
Our website clearly states an open submission policy, so I think also that as a whole, less women are generally into techno, it`s not that they are shut out. Check the average dancefloor, there`s way more dicks than chicks.

[machina]

I'll just say that it definately works both ways - i know plenty of girls that have gotten gigs, and been encouraged to do so (generally with shithouse skills) purely because they are girls. You can't deny that girls often get gigs because of the 'novelty' factor when they often don't deserve them... i'm all for girls getting gigs on their merits and i would always encourage it, but i'm vehemently against the mentality of given girls gigs purely because they don't have a dick. And even though that's not really what some girl dj's etc. think they are asking for, it is how it comes across. to have 50% girls on flyers is just a silly aim - promoters should always aim to have the best possible lineups regardless of sex, and at the moment the simple math dictates that there is going to be more guys - more guys into techno, more guys playing, more guys that are good.

All this talk, in the end, does more harm than good as it implies that girls can't get by on their on merits.

machina

[teknorich]

You´ll never find 50 / 50 splits because the scene isn´t composed that way. The crowds are not 50% female (I wish they were!), the producers are not 50% female and the dj´s are not 50% female. So to ask for a 50 / 50 split on flyers would be completely unrealistic. Why not ask for 40% black and 23% disabled too?? Maybe a 15% gay and 6.5% athiest?? This is getting a bit silly...

Djing should simply be down to merit. Shiva says in an earlier post she is a good Dj because she is a women. Because?? No. She is a good DJ because she is a good Dj. No more than that. Like anyone else.

[Miromiric]

i blame beautiful dj boys with beautiful modern haircuts and vaxed chests, who get 3 gigs per week and i get none. it must be cause of my beer belly and irregular shaving.

[dan the acid man]

i blame beautiful dj boys with beautiful modern haircuts and vaxed chests, who get 3 gigs per week and i get none. it must be cause of my beer belly and irregular shaving.

you need a ritchie hawtin haircut, thats what you need :)

[BloodStar]

you need a ritchie hawtin haircut, thats what you need :)

nono. its Marco Bailey's ponny tail what brings the fame, today. i think. :)

[dirty_bass]

i blame beautiful dj boys with beautiful modern haircuts and vaxed chests, who get 3 gigs per week and i get none. it must be cause of my beer belly and irregular shaving.

Yeah, me too. I`m not getting enough gigs because of shallow, imagist bastards, just because I can`t wear sunglasses and play at the same time.

[djshiva]

Djing should simply be down to merit. Shiva says in an earlier post she is a good Dj because she is a women. Because?? No. She is a good DJ because she is a good Dj. No more than that. Like anyone else.

as far as merit goes...ya might wanna read what i have been saying more closely. women are always held to different standards. if the playing field was even, it wouldn't be an issue. but it's not even. how many times have you heard someone mention a girl is playing and they are wondering if she will suck, simply because she is female? if you haven't, goody for you. but i have heard it constantly, and i get a bit sick of it. and since you guys have probably not run across being asked "are you hot?" when dealing with a promoter, let me inform you that it happens more frequently than not.

and as far as being a good dj because i am a woman, the reason i said "because" is that in any art, regardless of genre, what you put into it matters. as far as technical ability goes, there is no gender basis for that. it's beatmatching, fader play and programming. nuff said.

what i was referring to are the intangibles...the art behind the method. my life informs what i play and how i play. every time i step up to the decks, there is something i am trying to say and a feeling i want to impart. and THAT is where my life as woman comes into it. it doesn't mean i am any deeper or smarter than anyone else. it just means that my art is informed by my life and how i live it. and i think that anyone who puts their heart and soul into what they play, is going to be a better communicator as a dj than someone who just puts records together.

a good dj communicates with a crowd. good communication, to me, means hitting those subconscious levels in people. there are no words in my music to say, "this is my vision of life and the world and my frustrations as a woman." so that has to come across sheerly through flow, and vibe and sound. but i maintain that my ability to communicate through djing has everything to do with my life experiences and my interpretation of them.

and as far as the 50/50 thing goes...geez guys...there was a point to what i was saying. not asking for a ****ing quota... the point was that given the amount of talented women i personally know are on the decks, there should be a hell of a lot more women getting booked. but there are not.

there is always a lot of defensiveness from guys whenever this topic comes up. anyone asked themselves why?

and why has nobody addressed the other points i have brought up? the main one i am thinking of is that if women say there is an issue, why do we keep getting told over and over again that there is not? are you actually listening? or just knee-jerking?

[djshiva]

i blame beautiful dj boys with beautiful modern haircuts and vaxed chests, who get 3 gigs per week and i get none. it must be cause of my beer belly and irregular shaving.

LOL.

[eyeswithoutaface]

i thought we'd resolved this one? il say it again, one word

Location

[djshiva]

resolved? not by a long shot.

but i understand that it's easier to put it off on location than to actually address the issue.

thanks for doing your best to invalidate anything i have to say. just know that i will continue to say it.

[eyeswithoutaface]

errr we actually did come to an understanding the other day about the whole range of issue's, so im not sure whats with the defensive here? You've said exactly the same as when the topic was "hot" as it were, and your point was accepted then so im not sure how you think its not now

i just get bored of going over old ground, the topic is 8 pages long now, and its 8 pages of pretty much the same thing over and over, which alot of factors coming into play

there's no right or wrong opinion/answer to this one

[djshiva]

well, we can agree to disagree on the resolution.

i think i have offered some valid points that were glossed over by "it's not an issue here", and offered the beginnings of a potentially interesting and very important discussion that was pretty much ignored.

i was jazzed about the opportunity to talk about something that is very important to me with people whose opinions i generally respect. i sometimes forget that most people are just fine with the status quo.

so let's go back to talking about richie's haircut or marco bailey's sunglasses or something equally as inane...

[eyeswithoutaface]

oh come on, i think you've taken my use of resolve a little literaly there, it was more than clear i didnt mean we'd said like "oh its like that because it is, and thats final!"

and it had hit 8 pages anyway by then so if thats not having the chance to talk about it, what is? there was some great discussion about it it's not like this was said on the 2nd page or something

no one's against anyone here, ease up a bit its not like anyone's saying dont talk about this, but just pointing out that it started going round in circles anyway before it hit 8 pages! ;)

its man versus woman... in everything, the eternal struggle!

[dirty_bass]

Ban women from playing techno at all, then the problem will be solved forever.

I definitely think this is more region specific, as none of the femal DJ`s I know have ever been asked if they were "hot" when they were going for gigs. They were just asked for demo`s.
Come to think of it, never have I heard anyone say, "oh, she`s a woman, do you think she is gonna be shit?"
Generally, whenever we had chicks on the decks at our parties and club nights, people stood up and took notice, and got down, rather than standing around in judgement.
In fact I`ve got 2 girlie friends who have rocketed up the "ladder" of DJ status, and it`s all basically down to hard work, lots of self promotion and never giving in, but also being very pleasant about it and having a good attitude.

[Miromiric]

Come to think of it, never have I heard anyone say, "oh, she`s a woman, do you think she is gonna be shit?"

mi amigos and me always ask ourselves the very same question when going out on saturday`s night party.
"she a ho, she better beatmatch tightly."
or
"i sure hope she got nice little tits and a sturdy bum."